Introduction
In this article, we explore the idea of establishing the King's Buildings Society and affiliating it with the Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA).
What is the King's Buildings Society?
The King's Building Society is the
New King's Buildings Union
restructured as a EUSA-style student society.
For those who do not know, the New King's Buildings Union (NKBU) is an independent, student-led, hierarchy-less organization that strives to meet the demands of the students at the University of Edinburgh's King's Buildings Campus through grassroots actions, engagement with the University, and collaboration with the Students' Association.
It was established by Bintang Dirya (very unsurprising) back in April 2023.
It is the spiritual successor to the original King's Buildings Union, which existed from 1931 to 1994 before being annexed by the Students' Association.
It has no obligation to represent all King's Buildings students, as that is the responsibility of the Students' Association. It is here to amplify only their members' voices and are equally valuable as the Students' Association.
What is a EUSA-style Student Society?
A EUSA-style Student Society fits these requirements / has these features:
- Societies must have President, Secretary, and Treasurer – these must be University of Edinburgh students
- Societies must have their own constitution setting out their name and aims, and any other specific positions necessary
- Membership of any society shall be open to all matriculated students of Edinburgh University
- 75% of a society’s membership must be Edinburgh University students
- Societies must have a minimum of 20 members
- Societies may charge a membership fee, to enable them to sustain their activities. Applications for funding to the Societies Executive Funding Group will take into account whether or not a society has made an effort to provide for its own activities through a membership fee or not.
- All office-bearers shall be subject to election annually at an Annual General Meetings of their society, which must be open to all its members.
- Recognized societies shall have access to Edinburgh University Students’ Association facilities and services. Terms and conditions on which this access is available shall be publicized to societies each year.
- Societies must re-register on an annual basis, following the process determined by Activities Executive
- Society activities and meetings are subject to Edinburgh University Students’ Association’s Regulations on Good Conduct, and Guidelines for Meetings.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of the King's Buildings Society
Benefits
- King's Buildings students will have a proper space to meet other students (community).
- The King's Buildings Society gets support from the Students' Association such as increased visibility and advertisement and the usual Society benefits which may include, but are not limited to, a stall at the Activities Fair, access to Society Room Bookings and general financial gains for the society.
- The College of Science and Engineering will have a centralized student group to collaborate with.
Drawbacks
- Who is interested in establishing the King's Buildings Society, other than
Bintang D.
? We need at least 20 members. The NKBU only has Bintang as their only active member.
- Even if we have at least 20 members, do we even want the roles of President, Secretary, and Treasurer and work under the Student Society Model? The NKBU is governed under participation democracy and direct action where anyone can share ideas and act upon one's initiatives, because we believe our system is more friendly to students wanting to get involved. Under the Student Society model, events and initiatives are hosted by the committee not its members. Members can interact with these things, but you do not feel you own them.
- Yes, student societies can make you belong, but that belong-ness can go away. How will the proposed society be peaceful and not get to the point of ostracizing students like the Chemical Engineering Society?
- How will the proposed society be representative of the whole campus? We could introduce delegates from every CSE School and level of study (i.e UG/PGT/PGR), however it looks like we are creating a parallel government alongside the Students' Association.
- Is this proposed society able to last for a long time like at least 10 years?
- How does the proposed society incorporate everyone's interests?
- The King's Buildings Society aims to have all their events in King's Buildings.
Bintang's Opinion
- After my ostracism with the Chemical Engineering Society in January 2024, I became skeptical about how the Students' Association mandates its student societies on their governance with committees that can be biased and/or hostile.
- I have become an advocate for Student Networks and Commonwealths - less structured and more casual types of student groups to be embraced by the Students' Association. This plan was tied to my bid as Student Loneliness Campaign Representative. Since I loss the election, I am working on smaller tasks to get the ball rolling for the eventual Student Groups Reform in the near future.
- What King's Buildings Campus really need is their own student groups hosting events in its campus. The Students' Association does not allow student societies with the same interest to exist which is understandable but also hinders all students throughout the university to develop a sense of belonging for themselves. I remember Niamh Roberts, 2022-2023 EUSA President when they said about "not forgetting about everywhere except George Square" - a line I adapted for my Campaign Rep bid, however they failed to challenge the status quo head-on. Their failure led to me fighting a similar issue to them, but the difference between them and me is that I am a King's Buildings student with a more grounded approach through student loneliness by quantitative and qualitative statistics.
- This alternative is called Decentralization of Activities where the Students' Association should allow every campus to have their own collection of student groups (known as Commonwealths) or allow federalism for their student societies.
Alternatives to the King's Buildings Society
- The Status Quo:
New King's Buildings Union
stays independent and becomes extinct after Bintang graduates the university. EUSA keeps running whatever existing events in KB House.
- Closer Collaboration [Most Pragmatic]: The NKBU and the Students' Association collaborate on events in KB House — expanding the range of events from only the Thursday KB Quiz to the Wednesday Party Game Madness, and the Tuesday Breakfast Club as examples.
- The One Students' Association, Multiple Systems (Devolution or Federalism): Inspired by the People's Republic of China's "One country, two systems" policy, the NKBU will be given a special status as a "Campus Organization" within the Students' Association. This new status will also be granted to existing campus-level entities (e.g. Easter Bush Society and Law Students' Council) and resurrected campus-level entities (e.g. Edinburgh College of Art Students' Union and Moray House Union). This new status will have more autonomy than Student Societies by having their own government structure (most likely, student society-like or participatory democracy [definitely no parallel Sabbatical Officers and other Elected Representatives]), student council, and/or student groups. This alternative requires multiple levels of advocacy, discussions, negotiations, and bureaucracy to be implemented. Depending on its implementation, these Campus Organizations are just powered-up Student Societies or confusing students. At least, it is better than the past with multiple independent students' unions.
- The Introduction of Campus Representatives: Since King's Buildings Campus is home to several Schools unlike other campuses (e.g. Lauriston, Easter Bush, Moray House, Old College, and New College), it may deserve a Campus Representative. This role works with the Students' Association including relevant School Representatives, and the College of Science and Engineering (CSE), and attend the CSE Student-Staff Liaison Committee Meetings, EUSA Student Council Meetings, other meetings. Since I envision this role, I should be the first King's Buildings Campus Representative (I know that elections exist), given my passion for improving the student experience for all KB students, my amicable relationship with the Students' Association and the College, and my past experience as the 2023-2024 Engineering Undergraduate School Representative.
- Decentralization of Activities: The Students' Association should allow every campus to have their own collection of student groups (known as Commonwealths) or allow federalism for their student societies.
Conclusion
The King's Buildings Society proposal aims to provide a more visible, dedicated platform for King's Buildings students to engage and collaborate. While concerns about sustainability, representation, and inclusivity must be addressed, the society could offer a centralized space that could foster a stronger sense of community on campus. Alternatives, such as maintaining the status quo, exploring federalism within EUSA, introducing a Campus Representative, or trialing Bintang's ideas, each offer different levels of autonomy and integration. Ultimately, the King's Buildings Society proposal can serve as a pragmatic starting point for addressing the unique needs of this campus community.
Postscript
Name of the Proposed Student Society
I want the name of the proposed student society to be the "
New King's Buildings Union
" for an important reason: remembering our history.
As mentioned before, there was the original King's Buildings Union, which existed from 1931 to 1994 before being annexed by the Students' Association. However, this annexation was not without the controversy of it being orchestrated by the University (essentially a forced merger by a third party), and KBU members voted against the proposed merger.
After 1994, there is little known about this time in terms of a campus-wide community at King's Buildings until Spring 2023. There was some knowledge about a KB House renovation done in the Summer 2016 where EUSA secured £0.5 million from the University. Students at the time wanted more food options, more student friendly spaces, and upgrades to the KB Fitness gym.
It is sad to know that I may be the only one who is actively learning about our past and building our future. Even though I will be remembered for essentially rebuilding the KB community and drafting the blueprints to keep our campus community alive, no one else is matching my efforts or at least working and learning alongside me.
There will be an article about King's Buildings's forgotten past.
